Environment news and global warming articles from New Scientist - New Scientist Environmen. Cookies on the New Scientist website close Our website uses cookies, which are small text files that are widely used in order to make websites work more effectively.
To continue using our website and consent to the use of cookies, click away from this box or click 'Close' Find out about our cookies and how to change them Environment Log in Your login is case sensitive I have forgotten my password close My New Scientist Look for Science Jobs IPCC: World must adapt to unknown climate future Metal-eating plants could mine riches through roots Slow-motion tremors make Tokyo megaquake more likely TODAY: 14:00 16 April 2014. Australia passes landmark carbon price laws. Australia Senate backs carbon tax. 8 November 2011Last updated at 09:58 Australia is the developed world's worst polluter per head of population Australia's Senate has approved a controversial law on pollution, after years of bitter political wrangling.
The Clean Energy Act will force the country's 500 worst-polluting companies to pay a tax on their carbon emissions from 1 July next year. The Senate vote is a victory for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who had given strong backing to the plan. Environmentalists have broadly backed the scheme, but there have been large public protests against it. Australian MPs pass carbon tax. Julia Gillard, Australia's Labor party prime minister, has succeeding in getting a carbon tax through the lower house of parliament.
Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty The Australian government has cleared the major hurdle towards bringing in one of the world's biggest carbon emissions trading schemes after MPs passed two bills that are expected to be voted into law by senators next month. The carbon tax aims to cut Australia's emissions by 5% from year 2000 levels by the year 2020, and bring emissions down 80% by 2050. The prime minister, Julia Gillard, hailed the bills' passage through the lower house of parliament as a historic reform.
Environment News. Latest green news Why the carbon tax should stay Jemma Green There is no shortage of people advocating to 'scrap the carbon tax', saying that it will reduce electricity prices and make Australia more competitive.
But it doesn’t stack up when you look at the numbers, says Jemma Green. Economy.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Global Warming. Updated April 04, 2010 In February 2007, the United Nations released a scientific report that concludes that global warming is happening and will continue to happen for centuries.
The report also stated with 90% certainty that the activity of humans has been the primary cause of increasing temperatures over the past few decades. With those conclusions and the conclusions of innumerable other scientists that global warming is here and will continue into the foreseeable future, I wanted to summarize the likely effects of global warming, into the advantages and disadvantages of global warming. First, we will look at the many disadvantages of global warming and then follow with the very small number of advantages of global warming. Disadvantages of Global Warming Ocean circulation disrupted, disrupting and having unknown effects on world climate. Advantages of Global Warming Arctic, Antarctic, Siberia, and other frozen regions of earth may experience more plant growth and milder climates. CarbonCycle. KScience - Animations. The Carbon Cycle Game. What Is The Greenhouse Effect? The Greenhouse Effect is the atmosphere’s ability to trap heat from the sun, which causes the Earth’s climate to be warmer and more stable than it otherwise would be.
Understanding The Atmosphere Our atmosphere acts like glass on a greenhouse, allowing light and heat to penetrate and warm the Earth while slowing the radiation of heat back out into space. This effect is essential for life on Earth as we know it, and it all depends on a fragile layer of gas. Cause and effect for global warming. Maps predict future floods for cities - ABC Melbourne - Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Updated December 15, 2010 11:57:00 Rising sea levels are likely to cause serious and regular flooding in Australian coastal cities by the end of the century, according to maps released by the Federal Government today.
The maps for low-lying areas in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Newcastle, the New South Wales' central coast and south-east Queensland show significant levels of inundation by the year 2100. OzCoasts Climate change: Sea level rise maps. OzCoasts Climate change: Visualising sea-level rise - Melbourne region - Williamstown and Rosebud to Bass. Maps have been prepared for three sea-level rise scenarios of 0.5m, 0.8m and 1.1m,relevant for the 2100 period.
You may notice that some of the areas highlighted as low lying and vulnerable are the same ones that are already prone to flooding in big storms. However, it is important to remember that the maps show flooding that may occur annually, or in some areas more frequently, around the turn of the century. The big storms of 2100 are likely to flood an even larger area. The sea-level rise scenarios have been combined with a nominal highest astronomical tide (HAT) value for the region, and are based on IPCC projections and more recent science. The maps are based on a simple 'bucket fill' approach and should be considered as approximate only.
For more information go to frequently asked questions Note: These maps are a communication tool only and are not suitable for decision-making. Select a region by clicking on a box below. What do these maps show? Are more detailed studies required? The Greenhouse Effect - Thermodynamics, Heat, Climate Change. Greenhouse_2011. Google Image Result for. Global Warming Interactive, Global Warming Simulation, Climate Change Simulation. First Mammal Species Goes Extinct Due to Climate Change The humble Bramble Cay melomys has disappeared from its island in the Great Barrier Reef.
Climate Change Making Calendars Run Amok People in Central Asia are recalibrating their system of time to adapt to a changing ecosystem. The Great Energy Challenge The National Geographic initiative is a call to action to become actively involved, to learn more and do more—to change how we think about and consume energy so that we can all help tackle the big energy questions. U.S.'s First Official Climate Refugees Race Against Time A Native American tribe struggles to hold on to their culture while their land slips into the Gulf of Mexico. The Nitrogen Cycle. Nitrogen Cycle.